Imaging systems such as printers, fax machines, and copiers are virtually omnipresent, and can be found in homes and offices worldwide. The development of such systems has facilitated improvements in communication that have in turn fostered a sea change in the way people live and work. Telecommuting, paperless offices, and intra-office networks represent but a few examples of the advancements that have been made possible by modern imaging systems.
Imaging systems have become relatively sophisticated in response to consumer demands. It is not uncommon to find imaging systems associated with output systems capable of collating, sorting, and stapling groups of documents. One example of such an output system a 3000-sheet stapler/stacker, available from Hewlett-Packard Company, for high-capacity HP LaserJet printers. The 3000-sheet stapler/stacker, can be combined with the HP LaserJet 8100 printer to conveniently provide reliable, high-volume printing and finishing for professional-looking documents. Using the HP LaserJet 8100 printer, 3,000-sheet stapler/stacker, automatic duplexer and 2,000-sheet input tray together, users can quickly and easily print, staple and sort single or numerous copies of large documents on demand. Manuals, training packages and other lengthy printed materials that need to be updated frequently can now be created in-house, allowing businesses to save costs associated with outsourcing and inventory storage and control.
Various systems for binding groups of finished documents have arisen in parallel to the advancements in image production. Such systems enable in-house personnel to produce bound sets of materials from documents output from imaging systems. A variety of binding types are available, including spiral binding, flexible spine binding, and thermal binding.
In thermal binding processes, sheets of material are typically placed within a cover, with a thermoplastic spline inserted along an edge of the materials. The binder applies heat, or a combination of heat and pressure, to fuse the spline with the materials, thus forming a bound set.
While such bound sets provide convenience and acceptable appearance, they are often cumbersome to use. Fused splines and covers render the bound sets stiff and inflexible, making it difficult to open the pages of the set sufficiently. This can make reading or making entries onto pages cumbersome. Further, the binding process requires secondary operations, in some systems necessitating manually performed steps.
While known binding systems produce durable bound sets, the bulk and stiffness of the binding are unnecessary for collections of documents for which frequent reference is unlikely, such as printed sets of archived e-mails messages.
It can thus be seen that the need exists for a binding method and apparatus that results in a securely bound, easy-to-use set.